α-catenin interaction with YAP/FoxM1/TEAD-induced CEP55 supports liver cancer cell migration.
Cell Commun Signal
; 21(1): 162, 2023 06 28.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37381005
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Adherens junctions (AJs) facilitate cell-cell contact and contribute to cellular communication as well as signaling under physiological and pathological conditions. Aberrant expression of AJ proteins is frequently observed in human cancers; however, how these factors contribute to tumorigenesis is poorly understood. In addition, for some factors such as α-catenin contradicting data has been described. In this study we aim to decipher how the AJ constituent α-catenin contributes to liver cancer formation.METHODS:
TCGA data was used to detect transcript changes in 23 human tumor types. For the detection of proteins, liver cancer tissue microarrays were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Liver cancer cell lines (HLF, Hep3B, HepG2) were used for viability, proliferation, and migration analyses after RNAinterference-mediated gene silencing. To investigate the tumor initiating potential, vectors coding for α-catenin and myristoylated AKT were injected in mice by hydrodynamic gene delivery. A BioID assay combined with mass spectrometry was performed to identify α-catenin binding partners. Results were confirmed by proximity ligation and co-immunoprecipitation assays. Binding of transcriptional regulators at gene promoters was investigated using chromatin-immunoprecipitation.RESULTS:
α-catenin mRNA was significantly reduced in many human malignancies (e.g., colon adenocarcinoma). In contrast, elevated α-catenin expression in other cancer entities was associated with poor clinical outcome (e.g., for hepatocellular carcinoma; HCC). In HCC cells, α-catenin was detectable at the membrane as well as cytoplasm where it supported tumor cell proliferation and migration. In vivo, α-catenin facilitated moderate oncogenic properties in conjunction with AKT overexpression. Cytokinesis regulator centrosomal protein 55 (CEP55) was identified as a novel α-catenin-binding protein in the cytoplasm of HCC cells. The physical interaction between α-catenin and CEP55 was associated with CEP55 stabilization. CEP55 was highly expressed in human HCC tissues and its overexpression correlated with poor overall survival and cancer recurrence. Next to the α-catenin-dependent protein stabilization, CEP55 was transcriptionally induced by a complex consisting of TEA domain transcription factors (TEADs), forkhead box M1 (FoxM1), and yes-associated protein (YAP). Surprisingly, CEP55 did not affect HCC cell proliferation but significantly supported migration in conjunction with α-catenin.CONCLUSION:
Migration-supporting CEP55 is induced by two independent mechanisms in HCC cells stabilization through interaction with the AJ protein α-catenin and transcriptional activation via the FoxM1/TEAD/YAP complex.
Cellcell contact in epithelial cells is important for cell polarity, cellular compartmentalisation, as well as tissue architecture during development, homeostasis, and regeneration of adult tissues in metazoans. In this context, adherens junctions (AJs) mechanically sense cell contact information with direct impact on cytoskeletal remodelling, the regulation of signalling pathways, and eventually cell biology. Indeed, the loss of cellcell contact and cellular polarity are key features in human carcinogenesis and important pathological parameters for the identification of many epithelial tumors.We demonstrate in this study, that overexpression of the AJ constituent αcatenin is frequently observed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). αcatenin supports HCC cell proliferation and migration. Together with the oncogene AKT, αcatenin moderately facilitates tumor initiation in mouse livers. Using mass spectrometry, we identified several new αcatenin interaction partners in the cytosol of liver cancer cells, including the cytokinesis regulator centrosomal protein 55 (CEP55). CEP55 mediates pro-migratory effects and its overexpression in HCC cells is controlled by two molecular mechanisms αcatenin-dependent protein stabilization and transcriptional induction by the TEA domain transcription factors (TEADs)/forkhead box M1 (FoxM1)/yes-associated protein (YAP) complex.In summary, we here describe a new mechanism how changes in cellcell contact support liver cancer formation and progression. This study demonstrates that dysregulation of the AJ component αcatenin contributes to liver carcinogenesis via distinct molecular mechanisms. Video Abstract.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Adenocarcinoma
/
Neoplasias del Colon
/
Carcinoma Hepatocelular
/
Proteínas de Ciclo Celular
/
Neoplasias Hepáticas
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Cell Commun Signal
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Alemania